The Oldest Excuse In The Book #226

Author's note: someone asked about why Gray was simping for Wonder Woman, and I'd been meaning to reply for a while, but it kinda slipped my mind until now.

Anyway, I thought I might as well put the reply here in case anyone was wondering about it as well.

Basically, Gray is used to lying and bluffing his way through most situations. Wonder Woman could see through most, if not all, people and situations thanks to Athena's wisdom, which makes him very uncomfortable.

He was basically giving Wonder Woman what she wanted to make the interactions between them as brief as possible.

Also, my exams started yesterday so I might not be able to update every day until tuesday next week.

And with that out of the way, here's the chapter. Enjoy!

...

Bialya

Alegab

"I didn't think you'd agree to let him keep the crystal so easily..." Wonder Woman said, raising an eyebrow as she turned Superman after watching Grayson fly away.

"It wasn't an easy decision," Superman said, crossing his arms as he shook his head. "The crystal is dangerous, and the kid isn't exactly a model citizen," He added with a sigh, his expression shifting as he recalled what he found in Grayson's file in League's database.

"He's... an uncertainty..." The man of steel said as he relaxed his arms and gestured to the side. "But it's about time someone gave him the benefit of the doubt," He continued, putting on a bitter smile as he shook his head.

"Besides, I'm not one to question the wisdom of Athena," The man of steel concluded with a shrug, chuckling as he gave Wonder Woman a genuine smile.

"A wise decision indeed, my friend," Wonder Woman said, smiling as she nodded at Superman. "The boy hasn't found his true calling yet, but he is too stubborn," She added, her eyes glinting as she turned to the horizon.

"We would only push him into the wrong path if we press him hard," The amazonian goddess said as she turned back to the man of steel. "It's better to give him space," She concluded, letting out a sigh as she nodded her head.

"If only Bruce could have seen it the same way..." Superman muttered with a grimace as he sighed. "We might have had a new member of the justice league..." He added, shaking his head with a regretful expression.

"Bruce... is well, Bruce..." Wonder Woman remarked, putting on a bitter smile. "He has his own ways, but it might not be too late for that still," She went, her smile turning genuine.

"Though the boy hasn't found his path, he has the will to do good. I know he does," Wonder Woman said, her smile broadening slightly. "Whatever he becomes in the future, he will not be a threat to humanity," She concluded, shaking her head.

"Speaking of Bruce..." Superman said, sounding hesitant as he dropped the subject, trailing at the end of his sentence. "He's been gone for a while. Do you think we should pay him a visit?" He asked, not sounding too sure about his suggestion.

"Yes... I have a foreboding feeling, but we still have urgent matters to attend to first..."

...

The Himalayas

Inside a hidden fertile valley

"Wow..." I muttered to no one in particular as I exited the tunnel, feeling the temperature suddenly change, and saw nothing but greenery as far as the eye could see.

I'd already seen the area in Faust's memories, but standing at the edge of a cliff and seeing what was more or less a full-fledged forest hidden inside a frozen wasteland was still overwhelming.

Five days had passed since my brief encounter with the four horsemen of the apocalypse. I'd already met with Veronica Cale and (very) politely told her to fuck off when she demanded the crystal after explaining why I planned to keep it.

She wasn't happy about it, but I couldn't care less.

From there, I departed Bilaya and resumed traveling to loot the rest of the sorcerer's hideouts, and let me tell you; the guy knew how to pick some scenic spots for his lairs.

There was a temple hidden in the Amazon, a whole-ass invisible palace in the African Safana, an underwater cave in the pacific ocean, and now this; a simple hut inside a hidden valley in the Himalayas. Though, I haven't set eyes on the latter yet.

Each hideout had a different set of traps and whatnot, but solving or brute forcing my way through them was as easy as one would expect since I knew about them beforehand.

I went out of my way to enjoy the trip and got off to all kinds of antics to make the journey as fun as possible. Still, the funniest part was definitely casually walking up Mount Everest shirtless and without equipment.

The looks people gave me as I casually climbed past them were worth ten thousand words each. Still, I was on my way to the last hideout, so I didn't linger and quickly found my way to the hidden valley.

'It should be this way...' I muttered as I inspected the area and identified the way forward before jumping off the cliff and flying toward the valley's center.

The place looked as beautiful from a bird-eye view as it was from the cliff, with thick trees and colorful greeneries covering the ground. I also spotted several birds and mammals that were supposedly extinct, but I didn't feel like disturbing them.

It took me a couple of minutes to reach my destination, and I quickly found a small hut inside a clearing surrounded by all manner of exotic, colorful trees.

I nodded to myself, retrieving the Leviathan's Axe and my demon-slaying rifle as I levitated down. My feet touched the ground, and several magical circles immediately appeared, summoning one demon after the other.

They were of all shapes and sizes, humanoid, bestial, insectoid, large, small, and gigantic. The demons began roaring and shrieking as they inspected the area before gathering behind one humanoid, red-skinned creature.

"Faust! You will not escape me this time! I will drag your foul soul across the nine circles of hell!" The demon bellowed, brandishing a flaming whip as it looked around, trying and failing to find the sorcerer.

The demon's name was Sorunim, one of the first demons Faust bargained with and tricked, and he's been hunting the sorcerer for centuries until the latter trapped him here, using him as a glorified security system.

Though, it looks like the demon managed to escape.

"Sorry to break it down to you, but if you want Faust's soul, you'll have to look for it in hell," I said, shrugging my shoulders as I chuckled, causing the demon to stop searching for the sorcerer and focus on me.

The guards found Faust dead in his prison cell with a certain appendage missing from between his legs the same day I released Isis from captivity, so yeah, it's safe to say his soul is currently rotting in the deepest circle of hell.

"How dare you address me, you pathetic worm?!" The demon bellowed as he turned to me, giving me a disgusted look, to which I merely smiled and rested the Ace of Winchesters on my shoulder.

"You are..." The demon said, his eyes slowly widening as he alternated his gaze between the rifle and my face. "Please excuse me... I think I left the bronze bull on back home," He said, quickly gesturing with his hands and summoning a portal.

"Nope," I said, stomping my foot on the soil for no particular reason as I emitted an energy shockwave, disrupting the portal. "What's the rush? You just got here," I continued, smiling as I raised my rifle and began firing.

...

Ten minutes later

"Left the bronze bull on, he said," I muttered, chuckling as I watched the last demon turn into silver goop and disappear. "Good one," I added, shrugging my shoulders as I reloaded the Ace of Winchesters and stored it in my inventory.

I could have let the demon go since we had no bad blood, and I wouldn't have had to worry about him obsessing over me for an eternity, but I didn't feel like it.

After almost a week of traveling around peacefully, I found myself feeling bored, despite all the fun I had. I guess I got used to conflict after spending such a long time fighting for every little thing I had, and I honestly didn't know how to feel about it.

My conflicting feelings about conflict aside, I quickly took care of the demons without much trouble, and I was now free to enter the hut and claim my prize.

I took a deep breath, firming my resolve as I walked to the hut's entrance with deliberate steps. I quickly reached the old wooden door. It immediately keeled over at my touch, revealing the hut's interior.

The interior looked as unremarkable as the exterior, with simple wooden furnishings and a straw bed. The only thing worthy of note was an ornate chest with golden carvings covering its length.

I approached the chest and opened it, ignoring the golden coins, jewelry, and magical artifacts as I searched for a copper ring, which I quickly found inside a small wooden container.

I picked up the ring and put the remaining treasure into my inventory before heading outside the hut. "Here goes nothing..." I muttered, frowning as I channeled my energy into the copper band.

The ring glowed in a green hue, shaking in my hand for a second before disappearing and turning into a similarly colored portal, which I walked into after a second of hesitation.